A Few Things My Daddy Taught Me

1. Be concious of the fact that wearing bicycle cleats means that it will hurt if you fall and forget to uncleat.

2. You can tell your mother ANYTHING. You can only tell me CERTAIN THINGS.

3. He is absolutely not good enough for you.

4. I am the gold standard through which you shall compare any man that saunters through your life. Refer to #3.

5. Do unto others...

6. South Carolina sausage is the ambrosia of the gods.

7. Scotch is a man's drink.

8. Watching & being in nature is the cathedral God intended. Be concious of it, and you will know Him.

9. Pride can be a good thing. So can shame.

10. Take care of your ticker. Heart disease runs in the family.

11. Don't poke holes in peanuts that are "vacuum packed," unless you are going to buy them and eat them.

12. Do not tease an english bulldog who has been taught to defend his chew toy.

13. Realize that your mom and I will agree...don't attempt to play us against each other.


Happy Birthday, Dad. I can't wait to see what else I learn.

BING!

I made the switch about nine months ago, when I got bored at my auditing job and saw a commercial on the TV in the background. I have not used Google since. I mean, for my purposes, this is one rad search page. The pictures alone make my day a little brighter. I personally prefer the "animal" subjects to the "architecture" ones...but that is a matter of personal preference. The coolest thing is the little blippets that point you in different directions concerning the topic of the day. If you are a person who appreciates the visual...you can get a lot from it. You can link to cool photographs and make wallpapers for your destop (which I have done many times). This almost makes make want to take up photography...again. Anyhoo...just my thoughts for the day. Just thought I would pass it along...

Eye Contact

( . ) ( . ) Those are my eyes.

I instantly feel challenged when people do not make eye contact with me. It becomes a personal mission to get them to look at me. I will pull out every trick in the book, but doing a cartwheel normally works.

Nothing like a little dose of silliness on a Sunday.

Crap Cliches

The most recent one that came across my line of sight went something like this..."you will find what you look for in people." No better word for that, but "crap." I innately have the feeling that people are innately good. I look for them to do the right thing...after all...we are all in this thing together. Some never cease to amaze me. I often get hit from out of the blue by the actions of some people. They do things I would never have expected, or even thought rational to begin with. Either I am an idiot, or they are...well...crap. Since I do not consider myself an idiot, I can only assume the latter. Maybe I should start looking for that in people. Maybe... That will conclude my pity party for this afternoon. Time to start smiling again and reveling in my own awesomeness. Arrogance is another post altogether.

Toodles!

I suggest...

Learn if you have the ability to do something that you think is cool. Like...pitching a tent on the beach in order to watch the full moon rise. You never know when life will hand you an unique experience that will make you marvel at the awesomeness of life.

My Kind of Therapy

Like most people my age, I have had my dabblings in one sort of therapy or another. Actually, I have only seen three therapists, and that was over ten years ago. I fancy myself a naturalist, and think that the problems we encounter in life are solved by utilizing our environment. I didn't take too well to the clinical sort of therapy that included seeing a specialist and maybe having medication to go along with it. I believe that having a strong support system of family, friends, and faith are all the tools I need to get through things.

I recently started a new job (which I love), and the first co-worker I met was a lady who volunteers her time with local group therapy programs. I think she works mostly with chemical dependence groups, but her understanding of personal problems spans to other things as well. Anyway, after I started working with her, we immediately hit it off and became fast friends. I have found that I can talk to her about things, and she has common sense solutions for dealing with "stuff." I also find that I am able to listen to her problems, even if having someone to listen is all she needs.

Last week she made me aware of something I need to change in my way of dealing, or reacting, to events that happen in my relationships. I know refer to one of my favorite tomes of philosophy...

151. THINK BEFOREHAND. Today for tomorrow, and even for many days hence. The greatest foresight consists in determining beforehand the time of trouble. For the provident there are no mischances and for the careful no narrow escapes. We must not put off thought till we are up to the chin in mire. Mature reflection can get over the most formidable difficulty. "The pillow is a silent Sybil," and it is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterwards. Many act first and then think later- that is, they think less of consequences than of excuses. Others think neither before nor after. The whole of life should be one course of thought how not to miss the right path. Rumination and foresight enable one to determine the course of life. from "The Art of Worldly Wisdom" by Balthasar Gracian

Sometimes mere habit can betray us. Just last week, a lifelong misgiving of mine manifested itself in one of my personal relationships. I acted before I "thunk it." My body totally betrayed me. Talking this out with my friend at work made me realize that I need to be concious of this. I need to think before I react. Breathe...

This is how I get through my problems. I didn't need to spend a lot of money listening to someone I have just met. I need to have the support of people who want to be in my life and help me, not those who are being paid to. That way, I can turn around and be there for someone else... and they won't have to pay me, either.

Mentors

Some people, myself included, go through life thinking of great ideals, the number one, the only one, master of one trade, singleness of thought, best friend, main squeeze (on some aspects I cannot waver...). Most of the time I have missed extraneous things that should have had a bigger impact on my life. Life lessons can come at you from so many directions, and more often than not the decisions we make set off a chain of events that eventually make us more complete.

One of these areas is the idea of a mentor. I only had experience with this after I had decided what to do with my life and set the actions in motion to advance my career and volunteer efforts within my community. The first person I can recall even thinking of as a mentor was my former boss, Karen, who is a very sharp woman and tempers the realities of her trade with the fullness of her spirituality. Professional in every aspect, she was the model that I set in my head as to things I could aspire to. She took a personal interest into the lives of all of her employees and supported them unconditionally. She is still a big part of my life, even though she is no longer my boss. This "change of dynamic" only opens another door in which our relationship can grow.

Then there was Linda...an Episcopal priest who unknowingly led me toward a deeper relationship with myself, and with God. She taught me how to pray, to find beauty and relevance in everyday events, and to recognize (without pomp and circumstance) what was truly good and right. She also was the epitome of the idea that some people can come into your life and make a bigger impact than those who have been there all along.

After Linda, there came the members of a (now dissolved) mission vestry...Barbara, Al, Lee, and Blanche. In them I realized that the church is, indeed, the people. Each one of them brought something novel and relevant to their experiences. Barbara showed me how to do what's right (but NEVER be a doormat); Al showed me that I had to find the one thing I was excellent at (within my career area- accounting!); Lee showed me how to not be so passive-aggressive; and Blanche reinforced my love of kittens and also showed that grace is not dead. Very lovely people.

Then came Madonna. Madonna has always been around. About two years ago she mentioned the Humane Society and asked if I would be interested in seeing how the board of directors functioned. At the time I was finishing my accounting degree, and time was at a premium. I ran into her again about six months ago and she reminded me...the timing was perfect, so I fell on board. I have been on the board for about two months now, and I cannot relay how awesome of an experience it has been. Since Madonna is one of the founding board members, she has been invaluable in showing me the ways of operation, conduct, and follow-through concerning this aspect of volunteering. Of course, with Madonna came five new potential mentors. Hopefully, the chain will continue and new relationships can be forged.